I live in Kamakura which is quite a historical town. The government was once placed here over 800 years ago and so there are many temples and shrines and places which date back from this time.

The main shrine is "Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine". The land is quite big with huge ponds surrounding it. The main building is reached by a huge stairway in the center and just by the steps stood an amazing Gingko Tree which is said to be nearly 1000 years old. It has it's place in history as one of the important warriors was killed here as the assassinator hid behind this tree.

The height of it reaches the top of the steps and in the autumn all it's leaves turned golden so it was an amazing sight. It was absolutely beautiful. It was looked upon as a holy tree,and almost thought of as the guardian of Kamakura.

Yesterday though,we had a mild snow storm and in the early morning,the tree was discovered to have fallen down. They were saying that they might have imagined it weakening and dying but no one could've imagined it to fall down. It was a surprise to everyone.

The shrine is a five minute walk away so I went to go and see it. I was planning to take a photo of it but on my way up the steps I started to wonder whether this was a respectful thing to do. Because the main stairway was closed off I couldn't see very well so I went down again to see if I could see better from ground level although the area was closed off. It was really sad to see the fallen tree. It almost seemed like it was a person that was helpless. I decided not to take a photo.

I was looking at some articles written about this news and was quite touched. Apparently after it had fell,there have been several ceremonial prayers held for it and holy rice wine has been sprinkled over it as an offering. There were comments by people whom were really saddened by the news but also saying that they hoped that the "spirit of the tree would rest in peace". Also,on my way home today,I went to the dry cleaners and the first thing the shop owner said was " It's so disappointing that the Gingko tree has fallen...".

This is a side of Japan that I really love. The respect and love that they have for nature is real and is heartfelt. And it's not even a religious thing either! I hate the fact that at the moment Japan is only famous for it's cars(!),electronics,Playstation and comics. I wish the world could get to know the more beautiful side of our culture.

I've attached a picture so you can see the Gingko tree in it's glory.
The Golden Gingko tree. It's the tree on the left.

Also this is a link to the history of Hachiman Shrine. (I know it's Wikipedia... I just hope it's accurate.)